Derbyshire 170 for 5 (Madsen 44, Whiteley 41) defeated Worcestershire 169 for 8 (Pollock 67, Brown 4-23) by five wickets
Derbyshire Falcons kept their Vitality Blast knockout stage hopes alive with a dramatic last-ball five-wicket win over injury-hit Worcestershire Rapids at New Road.
Former Worcestershire players Pat Brown and Ross Whiteley played pivotal roles in Derbyshire's victory. Brown took 4 for 23, bringing his wicket tally to 21 for the summer, restricting Worcestershire to 169 for 8. Whiteley then hit an unbeaten 41 off 22 balls, rescuing the Falcons when they were falling behind the required run rate.
Alex Thomson scored the decisive run by turning Tom Taylor, ensuring that Derbyshire must defeat Durham in their final group match on Friday and rely on other results to advance.
Worcestershire’s innings was built around opener Ed Pollock’s first half-century of the summer. Despite missing eight senior players due to injury, Worcestershire handed Blast debuts to academy player Jack Home and second-team keeper Henry Cullen.
Falcons captain Samit Patel opted to bowl first on a used hybrid pitch. Pollock started aggressively with two boundaries off Thomson, but Brown struck early, dismissing Brett D'Oliveira at cover.
Josh Cobb hit boundaries off Brown before being caught at backward square leg off the same bowler. Pollock, finding form, drove Mitch Wagstaff straight to reach the 30s for the first time this season. Gareth Roderick’s reverse sweeps collected boundaries off Patel, but he was eventually caught and bowled by the same bowler.
Ethan Brookes edged Thomson for four to bring up 100 in the 12th over, and Pollock reached his half-century off 37 balls. Brookes quickly reached 30 off 19 balls before being caught at deep midwicket by Whiteley off Zak Chappell. Whiteley also ended Pollock’s innings at deep midwicket.
Brown claimed his 20th wicket by bowling Rob Jones and then deflected a straight drive onto the stumps to run out Tom Taylor. He took a fourth wicket when Cullen was caught at cover.
Derbyshire started their chase strongly, with Aneurin Donald hitting two fours and a six off Cobb’s first over. Home, bowling for Worcestershire, soon bowled Donald for 28 off 12 balls. Harry Darley dismissed Luis Reece at cover, leaving Derbyshire at 50 for 2 in the powerplay. Darley struck again as David Lloyd was caught at cover, and Madsen was dismissed for 44 after attempting to ramp Brookes.
Whiteley’s powerful hitting turned the game in Derbyshire’s favour. With 14 needed off the final over, he eased the pressure with two consecutive boundaries, securing the win for the Falcons.